What Your Server Movers Should Provide after Data Destruction

What Your Server Movers Should Provide after Data Destruction

by Stephanie Faris on Monday, January 05 6:00

When a business's equipment reaches its end of life, a business is put in the position of trying to find a way to dispose of it. A qualified server moving company can remove any equipment and relocate it to a responsible recycling facility, but it's important that businesses ensure IT movers ensure all data is removed before sending that equipment to a separate facility.

However, many businesses are concerned that data is really destroyed as it says it is. This is especially true of any enterprise that is answerable to a third party, such as regulators or auditors. When that third-party entity asks for proof that data was destroyed to requirements, it's important for a business to be able to provide paperwork. A data destruction certificate can satisfy auditor questions and serve as proof if a business is ever questioned about its data security procedures.

What is Data Destruction Certification?
Qualified server movers can provide paperwork certifying a hard drive has been destroyed to a business's requirements. The degree of hard drive erasure or destruction often depends on the type of data that resides on a drive, as well as the intended destination of the removed equipment. If a piece of equipment is going to a location where it will need to be used, shredding won't be an option.

Whether a data destruction certificate is provided electronically or as a file-ready sheet of paper, a business should look for certain elements. The certificate should contain the date of the destruction, the name of the IT moving company or other entity that provided the destruction services, and information about the type of destruction that was provided.

Types of Certification
There are several types of standards a business will request the destruction meet. These standards are unique to a company's type of data. Data center movers will tailor its destruction to the business's needs. Certification types include:

NAID--The National Association for Information Destruction is a trade association made up of data destruction service providers across the globe. Because NAID holds those organizations to certain standards, NAID certification provides a guarantee that the company is compliant with industry requirements.

R2--For the many businesses concerned about the environment, the Responsible Recycling (R2) Practices Standard is a great way to address that concern. R2 certification is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and allows a business to announce that it is responsibly recycling old equipment.

e-Stewards--Like R2, e-Stewards is dedicated to responsible recycling across the world's enterprises and nonprofits. e-Stewards is also EPA approved.

By choosing a data center relocation services specialist to handle your equipment disposal, you'll have more than the peace of mind of knowing that your data is completely removed. You'll also have the paperwork you need to serve as proof that you responsibly handled disposal. This not only helps reduce your liability but it satisfies your audit requirements.